Disintergration
by clandestinedly
Summary: SPOILERS FOR THE SEASON FINALE - 7X05 - THE ANGELS TAKE MANHATTAN. The doctor decides to return to the Williams' house for the first time since that day in New York. The day he doesn't like to remember, but cannot forget.
1. Breaking The News

_ "Just bring them back safe."_

The five words rang through the doctor's head on an infinite loop. A record on repeat, constantly reminding him of his failure. Failure as a companion. Failure as a timelord. Failure as a friend. He sat on the threshold of the TARDIS, his head in his hands. Parked in plain sight, he couldn't bring himself to look up at the house before him. Their house. The house with the blue door, and the potted plants which had been lovingly tended to by Brian Williams for his son and daughter-in-law in their absence.

"Doctor?"

The fine hairs on the back of the doctors' neck stood up on end. He hadn't heard the door open and Brian walking towards him. When he finally glanced up, he was greeted by a jovial grin.

"Doctor!" The elation on his face was plain for all to see. Brian shuffled forward, careful to respect the doctor's space and peered into the TARDIS over the doctor's shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he gathered his thoughts and whatever composure he had left and rose to his feet. His hand raised and ran through his scruffy hair as he brushed it from his face, and for the first time he opened his mouth to speak.

"Brian," he began.

"- Rory! Amy! You can come out. I'll put the kettle on and make us a brew," Brian began, spinning on his heels to get to the task at hand.

The doctor shook his head slowly. "Brian, wait..." He trailed off, trying not to let his emotions get the better of him. He had gone over this conversation in his mind since that day in New York, but it didn't seem to get any easier. The familiar feeling of restriction in his throat began to creep up over his consciousness, and he coughed to subdue it.

"What, you're going to tell me you've brought some kind of alien tea which is better than my Tetley?" Brian joked as he turned around. His face tensed as he saw the expression on the doctor's face. He had never seen the doctor look like this before. Confused, happy, excited - yes. All emotions he had seen the doctor register, but this... Brian knew this wasn't good. He peered again at the TARDIS behind the doctor, who was beginning to walk towards him. "Rory? Amy? Please, come out of there, now." Brian's voice was now straining as he leant on his tip-toes before moving towards the blue police box with speed.

The doctor put his arms out to stop Brian, and tightened his grip on the older man's shoulders. "I'm sorry;" the only words the doctor could speak as a tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Brian shook his head in disbelief. He pushed past the doctor and ran up to the phone box, stepping inside. The bright lights of the machinery mirrored the loud sounds coming from seemingly every space of the huge interior. "Come on now, don't play around." He ran around the console as he called out for his children, becoming more frantic as he searched for them.

The doctor stood against the door of the machine, letting the patriarch of the family react. He never was good at endings, and this was an ending he had become unfamiliar with. He was used to controlling it; dropping his companions off when their time was up like with Martha and Donna. He hadn't felt this grief stricken since that time at Bad Wolf Bay. The things he tries to forget when he lays down to rest; so he cannot remember the look on Rose's face before he began to walk away. Amy and Rory, though. He had no control over this; this was something he couldn't handle.

By the time Brian had stopped running from one corner of the TARDIS to the other, he stopped, his chest rising and falling heavily as he tried to catch his breath and a face much paler than usual. Sorrow, frustration and confusion were now turning into anger, and as he watched the doctor in the doorway of this machine, he could feel himself slipping. "You. This is your fault!" He pointed at the doctor and walked towards the timelord. "You have the ability to travel through time. You're the one man who saves this planet on a daily basis," the tone of his voice rising and getting louder as the tears started to fall. "The last time I saw you, we talked about this. About them travelling with you... so you can travel back in time and save them. Bring them back here. Bring me back my family."

As Brian's face creased with guilt, and the sobs were now escaping the older man, the doctor stood there awkwardly, shaking his head. "I can't do that, Brian. I can't go back to that fixed point in time. Rory and Amy created a paradox, and therefore a fixed point in time. That cannot be changed."

"I don't care, you can change it. You are the doctor. The man who took me travelling through space. We were amongst dinosaurs on a spaceship! You ask any man on earth and he will tell you that isn't possible. But it is. So you're telling me that you can't change that? And this is me, begging you to at least try."

The doctor sighed and walked past Brian to the console, and began tapping the keypad before him and pulling the levers to his right. "Amy and Rory knew what they were doing. They knew about the paradox, I couldn't stop them. They made a choice. They did this knowingly, Brian. I'd give anything to bring them back," Brian watched him, a look of desperation on his face.

"What are you doing then?"

"Bringing you your family," the doctor didn't look up as he moved about with the random pieces of the circular console.

"I knew it! I knew you could. You know, that's not a very nice joke to play on an old man," Brian began to cheer up, expecting his son and his red haired wife to walk through the door any minute now. He turned around as he heard footsteps and an unfamiliar face appeared in the doorway.

"Hello, sweetie."


	2. In Need Of A Brew

_AU_: Thanks so much for the lovely reviews on Chapter One! This is just a short bridging chapter :) Hope you all enjoy.

* * *

Brian stared at the unfamiliar face curiously, before turning back to the doctor with a perplexed expression etched upon his face.

"Who is this?" He turned once more to the woman stood in the doorway of the TARDIS. "Who are you?"

The woman with the autumnal coloured hair stepped forward confidently towards the doctor with a sly smile creeping across her lips. "Yes, husband. Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Brian frowned, trying to process what was happening. "I thought you said you were bringing me my family, not yours." He spat as he folded his arms defensively; and stepped back a bit as he saw the woman approach the console of the police box.

Before the doctor even had a chance to open his lips, the woman stepped forward with eyes as bright as stars and leant against the railing situated just behind her. Her head tilted across her shoulder as she looked behind her, curls falling around her face. "The name is River."

"I would say that it's nice to meet you, but under these circumstances..." Brian began, disappointedly. He had been expecting the two familiar faces of Amy and Rory, not some cocksure middle-aged woman. He turned to the doctor, "so, now we've had your family reunion, can I have mine?"

"Oh, _charming_," River snarled as she rolled her head to face the doctor once more. "Am I crashing the party you invited me to?"

The doctor moved next to River and faced Brian. "This is Dr Song. River. She is an archaeologist."

"Fascinating," Brian said, sarcasm dripping from his mouth. He was in no mood to meet any new people, or to be polite. His brain wouldn't shut up, and his mind was trying to compute so many feelings in one go. He felt as though he just wanted to lie down and sleep; to try and gain clarity on the day's events. "Pleased to meet you and all that, but I have to go." Brian looked at River and then to the doctor. "And if I never see you again, then good riddance."

The doctor winced at Brian's words. "Wait, you misunderstand me." He began. "This is River. But that's not her birth name. Her name is Melody. Melody Pond."

River stood up straight and looked at the doctor. She hadn't called herself Melody since the last time she saw her parents. The facade of River provided enough shelter from the events unravelling in her life, and provided her with a second identity. One she was used to living before the ponds, before the truth was revealed to her, and everyone else. "What are you doing? You know I don't go by that name anymore."

Brian's ears picked up and he stopped walking. He stared straight out of the door and at the house before him. The door swung open in the autumnal breeze, and his watering can toppled over as the wind caught it. Water dripped out of the roses he had watered, and his mind wandered back to Amy and Rory, and when he had helped them to plant their garden.

"This is Brian Williams," the doctor started as he walked towards the older man. He rested his hands on his slouched shoulders, causing Brian to snap back to reality. They both turned to face River, and for the first time, Brian took stock and stared directly at her. "He is Rory's father. He is your grandfather."

Brian shook his head adamantly, and he snatched his shoulders out of the doctor's grasp. "You think you can come here, and tell me that my son and daughter-in-law are dead; and then drop some stranger on my doorstep and proclaim she is my grand-daughter?" He stepped away, his eyes filling with tears and his face growing redder as his blood pressure began to rise. "You don't think my son would have told me if he and Amy had indeed had a child? What kind of sick..."

"...it's the truth, Brian." River stepped forward. "Whatever the doctor may be, he is not a cruel man."

Brian scoffed and used the sleeve of his flannel shirt to wipe his eyes. "He is from where I am standing."

The doctor stepped forward. "It's the truth. When we were away for over a year; Amy was pregnant. As unfathomable as it may be to you, Brian, she gave birth and her daughter was kidnapped during a terrible battle in a place called Demon's run. Both Rory and Amy knew of River...I mean, Melody being their daughter. And they were all together when they died."

Brian shook his head and backed out of the TARDIS; away from the Doctor and River...or Melody... or whoever the woman was. "I don't want to hear anymore of this. I just want to grieve for my son and daughter-in-law and for you to leave me be."

"Please, wait..." River started, advancing past the Doctor and towards Brian. "Let me talk to you, I can explain. I promise."

Brian turned and looked around at River, squinting his eyes slightly as he tried his hardest to make out whether she resembled Amy or Rory in any way. As he tilted his head, River chuckled to herself.

"What on earth are you doing, grandpa? ... Pops... Grandfather. No, I'm not sure any of those sound right," She rambled on a tangent. "What do you think?"

"I think I need a sit down, and a cup of tea." Brian replied, rubbing his temples with a frown. This was a lot to take in.

"Great idea! I'll go put the kettle on," River started, before heading into the house. Brian watched her go and sighed, looking up at the doctor who was sat on the steps near the console. "I suppose you'd better come in, too."


End file.
